Day 121 Roundup: Russian Official Killed in Car Bomb; Ukraine Troops to Withdraw from Severodonetsk
The Facts
Dmitri Savluchenko, a Russian-appointed official in the occupied southern region of Kherson, was killed in a car bomb on Fri., multiple reports have confirmed. It follows the death of a Russian colonel and three soldiers who were killed after their car detonated in the Kherson region on Jun. 10.
After weeks of street combat, Ukraine's forces in the eastern city of Severodonetsk have been ordered to withdraw, Luhansk governor Serhiy Gaidai said on Friday. "The Armed Forces will have to move away from Severodonetsk," he said. "Our defenders have already received such an order."
The Spin
Anti-Russia narrative
This invasion is an egregious violation of international law. Putin's ultimate aim is to restore the Soviet empire, even if it takes massive bloodshed and false pretexts such as calling the 2014 Ukrainian revolution after a fraudulent election a "coup". This unprovoked attack is the latest chapter in Putin's Orwellian attempt to rewrite history.
Pro-Russia narrative
NATO and the US have ignored Russia's security concerns by breaking its promise not to expand eastward in return for German reunification. These concerns are legitimate and taking them seriously would have avoided the Ukraine tragedy.